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Edward Marston
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The Iron Horse: The bestselling Victorian mystery series (Railway Detective Book 4) Kindle Edition

by Edward Marston (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,203 ratings
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Derby Day at Epsom Downs. A multitude of people crowd to watch the races: dukes and dustmen, bishops and beggars, privileged ladies and prostitutes. The gamut of Victorian society and a hotbed for crime and crooks of all kinds.

With the nation a-flutter in the run up to this national event, a disembodied head is discovered on a passenger train at Crewe; the first in a murky course of events that takes in murder, fraud and race-fixing. Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck and his assistant are assigned to the case and are soon snarled up in a web of skulduggery stretching across the country. They are forced to ask themselves, just how much is someone prepared to hazard to win?

Previous page
  1. Book 4 of 22
    Railway Detective
  2. Print length
    298 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Allison & Busby
  6. Publication date
    May 17, 2010
  7. File size
    1961 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

'A grand romp very much in the tradition of Holmes and Watson... Packed with characters Dickens would have been proud of. Wonderful, well written' --Time Out

About the Author

Edward Marston has written over a hundred books across many series. They range from the era of the Domesday Book to the Home Front during WWI, via Elizabethan theatre and the Regency period. He is best known for the hugely successful Railway Detective series set during Queen Victoria's reign.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B006WB7ONM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Allison & Busby (May 17, 2010)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 17, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1961 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 298 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,203 ratings

About the author

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Edward Marston

Edward Marston

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
1,203 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Rudy Moralez
5.0 out of 5 stars It started with a hatbox...
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2017
Verified Purchase
In the fourth book of the Railway Detective Series, Inspector Robert Colbeck is called to investigate a murder in Crewe. A hatbox is forced open, revealing a severed head. The first two mysteries are "Who does the head belong to?", and "Why does some want the head AND the hatbox so badly?"
From the title, "horse" references abound as the murder suspects include the three owners of the three favored horses of the upcoming Derby at Epsom Downs, and there is no love lost between them. Then, there is a woman...
Superintendent Tallis is an obstacle, at times, Madeline plays a key role in the investigation, and Sgt Leeming provides his share of clues to keep Colbeck on the right track, but will it be enough to find the killer?
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alan coughlan
4.0 out of 5 stars continues the high standard
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2013
Verified Purchase
continuing the series and stays at a good standard especially the insights into the period of time these are set in, characters are well set and believable --- another good addition to my library
2 people found this helpful
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phillip
5.0 out of 5 stars One of Marston's best murder mysteries
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2016
Verified Purchase
One of Marston's best murder mysteries. Most enjoyable reading. Characters are totally believable. Location and historical time period are authentic. Marston is one the most gifted writers of all time.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Iron horse
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2013
Verified Purchase
This book is the fourth book in the series and I have read them all. I will be reading the others as soon as possible. I have really enjoyed them. Excellent writing.
3 people found this helpful
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Basil Deakin
3.0 out of 5 stars A Gentleman Dectective
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2017
Verified Purchase
Another enjoyable read. The debonair Robert Colbeck, is very likeable as the main character. Always the gentleman, and wholly trustworthy. I had the criminal picked early in the piece, and proved to be correct, which was a little disappointing. However I still enjoyed reading this, and there was a nice twist right near the end. Thanks for the series Edward Marston.
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Randall T. Wehrle
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read.
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2015
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This is the 4th in the series that I have read. I really enjoyed all of them. I plan to read the entire collection.
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carolynwarlic
4.0 out of 5 stars a ok
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2015
Verified Purchase
A ok
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Railway Detective Fan
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2012
Verified Purchase
Enjoyed this also. Interesting to read about how trains were viewed when they were new. Lots of research here too.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Robert Gary phillips
5.0 out of 5 stars Book replacement
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 25, 2024
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Great book
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Marie Henry
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Read
Reviewed in Australia on December 31, 2018
Verified Purchase
As per usual the author has researched his work well and has produced another distracting read. Distracting as it stops you doing things you should be doing other than reading. Good plots, likeable and dislikeable characters. Enjoy the twists and turns and while you may guess 3/4 of the way through who the murderer is, does not in anyway ruin the ending.
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John Hopper
4.0 out of 5 stars good page turner
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 10, 2020
Verified Purchase
This is the fourth novel in the Railway Detective series set in the mid 19th century, at the time when the railways were revolutionising the economy and social life of Britain. This story starts with the discovery of a severed head in a hatbox at Crewe station, and concerns the murderously bitter rivalry between the trainers of the leading horses contending to win the 1854 Derby. I quite like the central characters Inspector Colbeck and Sergeant Leeming, though the former is a bit too irritatingly perfect and the latter a rather cliched stolid sidekick of a plod - they don't really feel like three dimensional characters. The scene of the actual Derby race itself in the final chapter, with people of all classes able to travel from far away on the new-fangled excursion trains to enjoy the occasion, reminded me of the crowds travelling to the bare-knuckle fight in the second novel, The Excursion Train. The dialogue in this one seemed a bit more natural than the sometimes rather stilted dialogue in the earlier novels. Overall, a decent engaging page turner. 4/5
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Richard Ewing
5.0 out of 5 stars All his "Railway Detective" series are good reads.
Reviewed in Australia on November 29, 2014
Verified Purchase
See my comments on Edward Marston's, "Railway to the Grave" . All his "Railway Detective" series are good reads.
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J. Osborne
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Edward Marston winner!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 28, 2023
Verified Purchase
An intriguing read with a real twist at the end! Read and enjoy!
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